Tit for Tat
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Well, this story takes place in season 3 after Lorelai goes on her fishing date with Alex. Luke helped her, now she attempts to help Luke. It's complete, and in what I like to call a sectional oneshot. Luke and Lorelai all day long. Read on GG fans!


**Disclaimer**: Seriously running out of cute ways to say I own not a thing

**I am the author, and here is my note**: Helloooooo everybody! Wrote another. Hope you all like it. This is a tale about Luke and Lorelai, and I actually took a second to mention Rory's relationship. Can you say growth? Just a second, though because those of us who know anything knows it's all about L/L bebe. I love writing these things. Whoo, okay what's goin' on you ask? Here it is, Girl gets help from boy so as to appear an expert on date with other boy. Girl thanks boy by agreeing to be his guinea pig (always fun to be). And stuff pops off from there. I'm the queen of summaries, I know. Takes place in season three. Read and enjoy and if left with any strength, leave a review. Two fingers.

**Tit for Tat**

The diner's door swung wide open. Luke looked up immediately and was presented with a smiling Lorelai. She stood at the door as if she was waiting on some sort of an ovation.

"Do you mind?" He said to her, gesturing toward the open door. He moved around her as he walked back to the counter with a pot of decaf coffee in his hand. She closed the door quickly and hurried over to a stool.

"I did it," she said proudly.

"Well, good for you," Luke retorted casually.

Lorelai's smile dropped, and she cocked her head. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Of course I don't. Do I ever?"

"Luke!"

He stopped movement and sighed. "What did you do?" He asked tiredly.

She smiled wide again. "I," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "went fishing, and thanks to you, I caught a fishie!"

He squinted his eyes at her. "I didn't teach you to fish for _fishies_. That's all you."

She waved her hand. "Fish, fishies, whatever. Fishie is cuter."

He smiled. "Well, whatever you caught, Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said bowing her head slightly at her words. "I'm so proud of me!" She said regaining excitement.

He seemed tired and somewhat pre-occupied with other thoughts, but still replied genuinely. "As well you should be. How big was it?" He asked falling into conversation with her.

She brought her hands up and started moving them close together, then farther apart trying to get the size right. She stopped when the size was satisfactory and smiled brightly looking back at him. "It was like this...with the tail."

He chuckled. "Fish don't have tails. They have fins."

"Well, you know what I mean." She seemed really happy, and Luke couldn't help but maintain a smile as he spoke.

"Well, that's a pretty respectable size. You should definitely be proud."

She took a breath, her eyes sparkling. "You should have seen me, Luke. I had on my little boots and my vest," she said holding her hands as if she were actually clutching at it. "And, I was so nervous at first, and all I could think was, 'thank god he didn't bring live bait because there's no way I would have touched it'." Luke listened to her with amusement. "But I started, and in like two minutes, I had a yank on my line. So, I pulled, and I..." she started moving her hands like she was in the act, "...spun that little...reel thingie, and it was a fishie!" She smiled even more. "I pulled on the line until it was out of the water, and it flapped all around, and, of course I didn't touch it, but Alex took it off the hook, and I had a pet fishie!"

Luke's smile faded somewhat. "Alex?" he questioned softly.

Lorelai's eyes dropped briefly. She started to feel caught. "Yeah...Alex. That's his name. Alex."

He didn't mean to bring any discomfort into the conversation, but he hadn't heard a name for the fishing man. Hearing one had thrown him a little, making it just a bit more real. He smiled again, only slightly. "You kept it as a pet?" He asked mockingly, alluding back to her 'pet fishie' comment.

Her happiness reappeared in an instant. "It's in my bathtub at home."

Luke shook his head. "I would expect nothing else," he replied in the same exhausted tone he'd been using the whole time.

She looked at him for a moment, a smile still covering her lips. "Thanks for your help, Luke."

He sighed deeply, straightening up from his lean on the counter. "Don't worry about it. It was nothing." He caught her eye and smiled. "You want some coffee?"

"Yeah. Can I get it to-go, though? I have to get to work." He nodded as he grabbed her a large cup and started filling it. Lorelai leaned forward on the countertop. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

He lifted his eyes to look at her. "I'm fine," he answered, a bit confused.

She drew in her lips and continued to look to him while saying nothing. Her gaze wasn't intruding, but instead was a soft regard. He set down the pot and looked at it as the liquid swirled to a stop. A half-smile formed on his lips as he grew a bit amused at her ability to get him to open up to her.

"I'm just thinking," he said nodding. "I...kind of, um, you know, asked out this lady." Lorelai looked down to her hands and looked back to him as she nodded for him to continue. He did. "She's kind of...high class, and I haven't really done the whole dating thing in a while." He looked around thoughtfully. "Of course I want to make a good impression, but I'm a little rusty, you know?" Lorelai nodded again, listening closely. "I'm just a little nervous," he finished quietly.

"When's the date?" She asked uncomfortably.

He snapped the lid on her coffee cup and slid it to her. "It's this weekend. Saturday night."

She wrapped her hands around the cup and looked at it for a moment lost in her own thoughts. She put on a smile and looked back to him. "Were you nervous when you asked her out?"

"Yeah, a little, but then, I just thought, _'what the hell?' _and just did it."

Lorelai smiled, shrugged. "Well, the way I see it, you made it through the hard part. She said yes. Just go and be yourself, and everything will be fine," she said simply.

"Easier said than done. I barely remember the process," he said shaking his head.

"Of dating?" He nodded. "It's not really that much to remember. The main thing is simple, and while lots of guys can't seem to grasp this concept, I have all faith that you will: Be you. Don't try to say what you think she'll want to hear. That's the only way you could screw it up. Luke, trust me, you'll do great."

He looked doubtful. He hadn't been on a first date in a really long time, and though her words seemed to ease some of his doubts, a lot of it still lingered behind.

Lorelai knew that he was going to be nervous until he got it over with. It was just something that he had to get through, and it was only so far that her words would get him. She stood up. "I have to get to the inn, but please don't spend too much time obsessing about this. Promise me?"

He looked at her and smiled. "It's just been so long," he said pitifully. That was his way of saying he'd be unable to think of anything else.

"Just..." She scrambled for something to say, "...just think about me. And my fishie." She laughed when he broke out in an unwanted smile. "...that you helped me catch. I named it Luke," she added playfully.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, uh, I guess I'll try to redirect all thoughts...to little Luke, then."

"Ooh, dirty," Lorelai replied lightly.

"I just fell right into that one, didn't I?"

She chuckled and backed toward the door. "I'll see ya."

"Yeah, you too."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Taste this," Sookie said as she shoved a wooden spoon into Lorelai's mouth.

Lorelai backed up a little to avoid any spills on her clothes. She swallowed the sauce in her mouth before throwing a problematic expression at Sookie. "Sookie, you have to at least tell someone that you're getting ready to stick something in their mouth."

Sookie giggled as she set the spoon down and picked up another to stir the sauce. "I'm sorry. You just walked in at the perfect moment."

"Well, timing's always been my thing," Lorelai said as she poured herself another cup of coffee. "It's good, by the way. I love the texture."

"I know," Sookie said excitedly. "That's what I've been working on. It's taken me forever to get it just right! And, now it is." She squealed. "The Contrell party is going to be eating out of the palm of my hand."

Lorelai laughed at her excitement. "The Contrells aren't coming until tomorrow. You should've just made it fresh in the morning."

Sookie stopped and placed her hands on her hips. "Lorelai Gilmore, don't you know me at all?" She asked playfully.

Lorelai's face contorted in feigned confusion. "I want to say..._Sssookie_?" She said slowly.

"Hardy har har," Sookie replied, trying to hold off her actual amusement.

"Of course I know you, Sook, and I know that you like for your food to be as fresh as possible. You'd make it two seconds before dinnertime if you could get away with it."

"And that still hasn't changed," she said turning attention back to her pot. "This is just a test batch."

Lorelai smiled into her cup. "A test batch, huh?"

"Yeah, I want it to be good for tomorrow. Practice makes perfect," she finished happily.

Lorelai smiled again. Suddenly Sookie's words struck a chord, and her face took on a wide-eyed expression. She broke out in a grin. "That's an awesome idea, Sookie." She sat her coffee down on the counter and patted Sookie on the back as she walked toward the door. "Man, I love you."

"Love you too, Honey," Sookie yelled back to her though she had no clue as to the reason for the gleeful admission.

Lorelai rushed over to the main desk and reached for the telephone.

"Finally decided to do some work, I see." Lorelai quickly dialed the familiar numbers, paying Michel's words very little attention as he stood beside her.

She placed the receiver to her ear. "Go away, Michel," she said calmly. He gave her a narrowed look. She fanned her hand toward him. "Shoo, shoo." He mumbled something before walking toward the dining area.

Finally, the phone was answered. "Luke's," came a familiar deep voice.

"Luke, take me on a date," Lorelai said.

"What?! Who's t---is this Lorelai?"

"Yes, it's me. Take me on a date," she repeated.

The shock dropped from his voice as if when speaking to Lorelai, he was able to expect and tolerate anything. "Can you hold on for a second?"

"Sure."

He stepped away from the phone for about a minute, and Lorelai could hear the moving of plates and utensils. He came back on the line. "Sorry, we're a little busy. What were you talking about?"

"I asked you, Luke Danes, to take me, Lorelai Gilmore, on a date."

"Do I have to ask for an explanation because most people would just know that one was necessary," he said.

Lorelai laughed. "I got an idea. Actually, I kind of got it from Sookie because she was--"

"Lorelai, we're almost at capacity over here. What's up?"

Realizing he had little time to converse, she made a beeline toward her point. "Your date is Saturday night, so you and I can go on a practice date, say, on Friday. You helped me out with the whole fishing thing, so I want to help you with this. It'll just give you time to get back into the swing of things. It'll be fun, and I can give you lots of tips and things."

There was silence on the other end of her phone for an extended period. She was already aware of how much convincing she would have to do, so she wanted him to go ahead and protest so she could overrule him quickly and allow him to get back to work. She waited before finally wondering if he was still on the line. "Luke?" She called quietly.

"Yeah," he said quickly. "That's a good idea. Friday's perfect."

"It is?" Lorelai asked shocked.

"Yeah, is seven okay?"

She was still in a state of shock. "Seven is good. I get off at five, so it's fine."

"Wait, what about the dinner at your parent's house?"

"I'm free this week. They have a function to attend."

"Okay, good. I'll pick you up at seven, then. Anything else?"

"Nope, that's all. Have a good day," she added.

"You too," he said quickly. She could tell that he had remained on the phone too long and the diner was probably crazy. She got ready to hang up but heard him call out to her. "Hey, Lorelai."

"I'm here."

There was a small pause. "Thanks," he said genuinely with no hastiness in his words.

Lorelai smiled over the phone like he could see her response. "You're welcome."

They hung up from each other, and Lorelai turned to see that Michel had returned and was glaring at her. "Do you like your job?" She asked with a smile. He didn't say anything, but she continued on anyway. "Then, keep all thoughts, opinions, and any other non-work related issues about _my_ business to yourself." she smiled wider. "Thank you."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai threw both feet up on the coffee table and settled herself onto the couch. Rory walked over and sat down next to her.

"You want to catch a movie tomorrow night--see if what Ebert is thumbing this week is deserving of Gilmore approval?"

Lorelai chuckled at Rory's words. "No can do, Sweetheart. I have a date with Alex."

"Oh, it's going well with you guys, then?"

"Yeah, it's going pretty well. He's nice."

"Good." She took in Lorelai's loafing attire. "Well, what are you up to tonight? I never even asked you."

"I know. You're seventeen, and I'm well aware of the 24/7 Jess channel your brain entertains," she teased.

"Not true," Rory responded.

Lorelai looked at her, noticing she looked like she was on her way out of the door. "And where are you off to?" She asked leadingly.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm going to see Jess..." Lorelai scoffed, and Rory went on, trying to ignore her, "...because he has to close alone tonight, so I'm going over to keep him company during his shift."

"Mom, one million seven hundred nineteen thousand, daughter, zero."

"We need a new score keeper. I think there's a little bit of unfairness in tallying here." Lorelai only laughed. "You want to come hang out at the diner with me?" Rory asked her, assuming she had no plans for the night.

"Tempting," she said sarcastically. "As much as I'd love to see you and your beau make googly eyes at each other over plates of ham on rye, I have plans with Luke."

"So, that's why he's not working tonight. What are you guys going to do?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Dinner, maybe a movie afterwards."

"What?!" Rory asked with a bright smile.

Lorelai looked at her casually. "What?" She asked.

"You have 2 dates in 2 days with 2 different men?"

"No, I have one date tomorrow. Luke and I are just hanging out tonight. It's no big deal."

"You guys never hung out before with a dinner and a movie."

"We haven't?" She asked thoughtfully.

"No."

"Hmm. Well, I'd say we were a little overdue, wouldn't you?"

"So, this is just two friends hanging out?" Rory asked doubtfully.

"More or less," Lorelai answered seriously as if oblivious to what Rory was insinuating.

Lorelai stood up from the couch and started up the stairs. "Rory, Honey, don't stay out too late tonight, okay?"

Rory stood up, too. "So, what, are you not going to be here when I get back?" She asked accusingly.

Lorelai turned and looked at her strangely. "I don't know. It depends when you get back, I guess."

"So what you're_ saying _is you may get in late because you'll be out on a friendly outing with your pal, Luke?" She had a small smile on her lips.

Lorelai came back down a couple stairs and placed one hand on her hip. "Rory, are you okay? I tell you all the time not to stay out too late. Why are you acting weird?"

"So, you and Luke are just..." She shrugged, "...going out?"

"As friends," Lorelai said slowly. "If this is your expert way," she said chuckling, "of asking if something else is going on, the answer is 'no'."

"As of yet," Rory tried to sneak in.

"As of yesterday, today, and five years in the future."

"Okay," Rory said acquiescingly.

"Okay, then." Lorelai started back up the stairs. "Luke will be here in about an hour, so I have to go get ready." She turned back and caught Rory's eye. "Have you seen my black mini?" She asked seriously before breaking out in a smile at Rory's shocked look. "I'm kidding, Rory." She turned and went up the stairs quicker. "You are too easy," she joked loudly.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai opened the door to Luke. She smiled at seeing him. "Hi, you. You look nice," she said taking in his appearance.

He looked down at himself. "Yeah, it felt a little weird putting on clothes bought by the same person you're putting them on _for_," He finished with a shy smile. He took in her appearance as well. "You look great," he mentioned casually.

"Thank you, Mr. Danes," she said pleasantly. He smiled.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am," she said stepping out and closing and locking the door. "Now, I see you came about ten minutes late," she began.

Luke interrupted before she could finish. "I only did that because it's _you_. Arriving on time would have had me sitting and waiting around most likely." She smiled. Indeed, she had put the final touches on her make-up about five seconds before she heard his knock. "I don't plan on being late on tomorrow."

"Good, just checking. Women are sometimes kind of particular about that sort of thing. And then you said she was high-class, right?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Well, definitely be on time." She released a breath, standing at the top of the stairs facing him. Sans baseball cap, flannel, jeans, Luke was really looking nice. Or nic_er_. She smiled wide. "You really do look handsome," she said.

He blushed and couldn't help the smile that sprung up. "Thanks," he said like it was no big deal. He glanced toward his truck, then back to her. He gestured quickly for her to walk down first. Once they were nearing the truck, he moved around her and pulled open the passenger side door. "You know you should really think about putting in some kind of paved walkway," he said as he watched Lorelai try to avoid all muddy areas where the heel of her shoe could potentially sink into. He held out his hand to her and she took it as she tried to climb into the truck without her dress lifting up.

Luke smiled. "You didn't have to get all...dressed up," he said.

"Well, you didn't mention where we were going, and I'd rather be over-dressed than under-dressed."

He closed her door and moved around the truck to his side. "Well," he began once he was behind the wheel, "you won't be over-dressed," he assured her. "Ready to roll?" He asked.

"I'm ready." Luke cranked up the trunk. She looked at him with a grin. "You're doing great so far. Opening doors and the hand offering. You're sweet," she finished.

Luke looked confused for a millisecond. "Oh, yeah, forgot I was being graded," he said rolling his eyes.

x

They arrived at the restaurant, and Luke went through the same process of opening Lorelai's car door as well as the restaurant door. He even pulled her seat out for her at the table. Once seated, they each released a big breath, settling into their surroundings.

"This is a nice restaurant," Lorelai commented as she looked around. "I can't believe you made reservations for this."

He shrugged as he looked over his menu. "Seemed like a nice thing to do."

"Well, it is, and it's tiny things like that that make dates all the more special."

"So, you really like it?" He asked looking around briefly.

She smiled. "It's very charming. I feel like I have to be conscious of my posture or something in here."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm glad because I got a reservation for two nights."

"This is where you're coming tomorrow night?"

"Well, initially, I made the reservation for tonight because I thought _you'd_ like it." This, of course, brought about a smile from Lorelai. "But, then I figured I'd make one for tomorrow, too so I can be familiar with my environment which may take away some of the pressure. It sounds stupid, now, but it made complete sense at the time," he said amusedly, mistaking Lorelai's delight for preceding mockery.

She smacked her lips playfully. "Well, as hurt as I am that I don't have my own restaurant, I think I'll be able to get over it. One day," she added as she picked up her menu.

"Drama queen," Luke muttered.

Lorelai picked up a roll and was getting ready to toss it at him before a waiter came over to get their orders. He gave Lorelai a fleeting look of reprimandation that led her to believe that he knew what she was getting ready to do. She set the roll down and looked back down to her menu shyly.

Luke caught it and laughed shortly before covering it up by quickly clearing his throat and asking the waiter about their specials.

Once they had their dishes, they sat and ate as they carried on casual conversation.

"You're slouching," Luke told her quickly.

"Luke, stop," Lorelai said, withholding laughter. "You're going to have me feeling self-conscious for real in a minute."

"Well, sit up straight, then. This is a nice establishment. You think that guy with the hump left voluntarily?"

Lorelai laughed. "Hey, I caught your elbows on the table twice, and I let it go," she said already chuckling through her lie.

"Like hell you did," Luke said trying to control his volume. "You brought the waiter over and asked him to ask me if I minded removing them from the table. You said you felt too disrespected to mention it yourself."

"That was funny," she said in admiration of her own cleverness.

"Laugh it up," he said blandly, trying not to give her any satisfaction.

They continued to eat and continued to carry on conversation that came so very natural to them both. Their waiter brought over the bill when they had completed their meals, and they both reached for it.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked looking at her like she was crazy.

"I want to pay the bill," she answered matter-of-factly.

"Why?" He asked drawing the word out.

"Why do you want to pay it?" She asked smartly.

"Because."

"Because...?"

"Because I'm the guy. I'm supposed to pay the bill."

Lorelai took her hand back and scooted up in her chair so that she could speak lower without him straining to hear her. "Luke, this is not the 1950's."

"I know that," he said tightly.

"That means that you don't automatically have that obligation anymore."

He brought his hand back also, the bill still sitting in the middle of the table. "And all women feel that way?"

"No," Lorelai said bluntly. "But some do, so you just kind of have to respect that." Luke sighed. "I mean, it's not a big deal," Lorelai continued. "Just if that same situation happens again, you and her reaching for the bill, try not to snap like she's insulting you or something." He nodded, listening to what she was really saying. "You can insist, probably _should_ insist, but if she ends up paying, take it as a grain of salt. Your masculinity will still be firmly in tact."

She reached over and picked up the bill. "But in this case, this was_ my _idea, so I'm paying." She opened it and looked briefly at the amount. "But, I do appreciate the insist," she said winking at him. A slow smile crept onto Luke's face as he watched her prepare payment. She looked up at him and matched his smile. "What?"

"I'm glad you thought of this pre-date thing before I made an idiot out of myself."

"You wouldn't have made an idiot out of yourself. You're _not _going to make an idiot out of yourself. You're a great date," she said like it was obvious.

He looked at her for a moment before responding with a half-smile, "You're okay, too." He said it casually after making her think he was about to say something to match her genuine reassurance.

"Luke," she said with her hand over her heart, "you make me feel so good about myself." He just laughed.

Once the bill was paid, they left the restaurant and hit a local movie in Hartford. After which, they drove back to Stars Hollow. Luke pulled in front of Lorelai's house and Lorelai sat tight as he walked around to her side. She had, in the few hours they'd spent together, grown a little spoiled by his extreme chivalry.

He opened the door, and they walked side-by-side over to her porch. Lorelai started walking toward the door, but Luke stopped and sat down on the top step, giving a polite gesture for her to do the same. She turned and joined him.

They sat there for a moment, enjoying the night air. Luke broke the moment. "So, how'd I do?" He asked her warily.

Lorelai breathed deep. "You did exactly how I thought you would do. You're a natural."

He scoffed. "Please."

"I'm serious, Luke. I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Yeah, me too," he said looking down thoughtfully. He paused. "I just know that it's going to be different tomorrow, though."

"How so?" She inquired.

"I'm going to be nervous and fumbling for something to say to keep the conversation going. I feel like I'm sixteen again."

Lorelai chuckled. "No, you're going to be great. You didn't seem nervous at all tonight," she told him.

"That's probably because I wasn't," he said still staring at the ground.

"So what makes you think it'll be different tomorrow?"

"I know it'll be."

Lorelai rolled her eyes playfully. "I know that once you've had the best, it's hard to go back to anything else, but Luke, you're going to have to just put in the effort," she teased.

Luke remained focused, serious. "It's you, you know. I'm comfortable around you, so it's easier to let everything flow naturally."

Luke was still looking intently at the ground so he wasn't aware of the look on Lorelai's face. His words touched her, but what was even more touching was that he had even felt that way. She blinked and cast her eyes to the ground, also. "You know, Luke, I feel comfortable around you too."

He looked at her then. "You feel comfortable around everyone. It's a part of your charm or whatever."

She laughed a little. "Actually, I don't," she admitted. "I don't really..."

She paused, aware of how deep she could get on the subject. She swallowed slowly, allowing the crickets to fill in the silence.

"I, uh, don't always let people see me." She tossed a glance to him and he was looking at her hands as she fumbled her fingers, but he quickly met her eyes before she turned attention away. She tried to lighten her voice. "It's always worked pretty well for me, the humor...and everything. When I met you, I kept my distance and called you Duke for two years."

She heard Luke chuckle lightly. She smiled to herself. "But then I got to know youuuu," she drug out in a sing-song voice. "And we started to talk when I'd come in, and it got to a point when I'd say something, and you'd nod or whatever just to go along with me, but then you'd look at me like you could hear everything that I wasn't saying. I didn't like it...at first, but for some reason, I kept coming back. After a while, I started depending on you being able to see me when I didn't have the courage to let anyone else." She met his eyes. "So when I say I'm comfortable around you, I mean I am truly _comfortable_ around you."

Luke smiled lazily, staring into her eyes which looked about as exposed as he'd ever seen. He sighed with a playful exhaustion. "Do I have to say something all touching now?"

She laughed and hit him on the shoulder. "Shut up," she said softly.

He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him briefly. "Thank you," he said over her head.

She smiled and pulled back, not feeling the least bit regretful for revealing what she had. "Do you have any questions or need any last minute advice on anything?" She asked.

He drew his arm back and clasped his hands together. "I do have one question," he said quietly.

Her eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Okay."

"We, uh, went to...a real movie theatre."

She smiled. "You mean one without couches?" He nodded. "Yeah, we did."

"What if tomorrow, Nicole and I end up at Black, White, and Read...on the couch." Lorelai nodded. "What's a respectable, um, distance to sit from her?" Lorelai found herself chuckling at how adorably clueless his question was. "I mean," Luke continued. "I'm not worrying about sitting too close because given I know absolutely nothing about her, I may sit too far away and risk offending her or something."

"Her name's Nicole?" She asked looking at him. He seemed to fluster before confirming it with a tentative nod. Lorelai bit down on her lip, and was soon able to smile her way back into the conversation after having gotten a little off-track with her thoughts. She looked down at the space between them on the step. She scooted away from him a little, then looked back to him, taking in his new distance. "Now, it completely depends on what kind of connection you guys had during dinner, but just assuming that you and/or she's still a little uncomfortable, then this," she said gesturing with one hand, "is an acceptable distance. It's not offensive, nor is it too intimate."

Luke studied the distance as if he was calculating it to store in his memory. Lorelai smiled as she watched him. "And," she began, "if as the movie plays...and progresses," she moved closer to him, "and the mood changes and strikes, then you can..." she moved even closer, smiling at the very wide amused smile that came over his face as he avoided looking at her playful actions, "You can just scootch over a bit and do the old-timey stretch and yaaaawn," she said as she lifted her hands over her head and placed an arm over his shoulder, "And you're in," she finished watching him try to fight amusement.

"You are so special," he said flatly.

She took her arm away, still smiling wide. "I try to be."

His turned his head slightly with a half-smile as he and Lorelai locked eyes. He looked down casually and pulled his shoulder away from where it was touching hers and knocked back into her lightly. "Thanks for everything," he said to her.

She gently collided her shoulder back against his causing him to bounce away as she had. She laughed as she replied, "You're welcome."

He looked down to her knee and touched it lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

She followed his touch with her eyes. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood up and walked back to his truck. He got in and waved a hand to her as he backed out.

Lorelai sat on the porch for a while longer staring off into the distance.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Coming!" Lorelai yelled as she nearly stumbled down the stairs. She corrected herself and put her shoe fully on as she glanced at the clock on the desk. It was one minute until seven. She ran quickly over to the door and opened it. "Hi, Alex," she said with smile. "You're right on time," she said as if she was happy about that fact.

He looked down at his watch. "Seven o'clock exactly. I would've been here sooner, but I got held up in a little traffic on the way," he said.

She raised her eyebrows as she tried to maintain her smile. "Really? Sooner, huh?" He nodded, and she chuckled genuinely to herself before stepping to the side. "Come on in and get comfortable. I hate to make you wait, but I have to finish getting ready."

He moved past her. "It's no problem. Take as much time as you need," he told her.

She said a quick 'thanks' before jogging upstairs leaving him to entertain himself for fifteen minutes.

x

Lorelai sat in his car looking around at the landmarks as he drove toward the restaurant. "Um, Alex, where are we going...exactly?"

He smiled wide looking over to her. "It's a surprise. I've passed by the place a couple of times, but never went. I thought it'd be nice to go for the first time with you."

She laughed nervously. "That's great," she said looking all around her at the exact same places she'd been looking at around twenty-four hours prior. She relaxed in her seat and smiled to herself as she thought about the likelihood of possibly ending up at the same place that Luke was spending the evening with his date. But, knowing that many restaurants sat nestled in that particular area, she shook off the possibility.

Alex released a sigh as he turned toward Lorelai. He had pulled into a parking space at his chosen restaurant, and he looked to Lorelai to catch any initial impressions that he felt would all be positive given his choice. She stared straight ahead, a smile playing at her lips.

Alex followed her eyes. "You don't see many trucks like that anymore, do you?" He asked her, trying to share in her fascination with the dark green pick-up.

She turned to him casually. "No," she answered. "You don't." She unclicked her seatbelt. "Shall we?" She asked.

"Let's go," he replied. Lorelai opened her door and stepped outside. Alex would open shop doors for her but wasn't big on the whole car door thing. On their other two dates, she had paid it no attention at all, but was now unable to overlook it. He had an 'unlock' function on his keychain, and he made very good use of it when they approached his car. He'd go directly to the driver's side, leaving Lorelai to let herself in.

He met her at the front of the car, and they walked in together.

As Alex gave the hostess his name, Lorelai scanned the restaurant with wide eyes. The place was packed just as it had been the night before, but her eyes moved from table to table trying to find a familiar form.

"Right this way," she heard the hostess say to her and Alex. She put on a smile and moved ahead of Alex as he placed his palm on the small of her back.

They got a table, and Alex ordered a bottle of wine for the table. When he picked up his menu to look over it, Lorelai started scanning the area once again. She looked around, but still didn't see him. Just as she was about to look down to her own menu, her eyes ran coincidentally over the person for whom she had been searching. She snapped her head back up. He was sitting about three tables down from where they sat, and he was directly in her line of vision. It was a wonder she hadn't seen him sooner.

Not having any concern for her own company, her eyes remained glued to Luke, wishing he'd look up. All he had to do was lift his eyes and he'd see her, but they seemed to be focused on the table or something _on_ the table. She looked a little to her right and was able to see the back of a lady's head. A brunette.

She looked back to Luke. It seemed like she'd been looking at him forever before he finally looked up, and his eyes connected with hers immediately. A shocked look came over his features, and before Lorelai could fully see the small smile that soon followed, their waiter came up blocking her view of him. He requested their food orders. Alex told her to go ahead as he continued to scan the menu. Since she hadn't even glanced at hers, she just ordered the same thing she'd gotten the night before.

She glanced up at the waiter and found him staring at her in recognition. She smiled, noticing it was the same waiter that had served her and Luke. He looked at her a second longer before turning around to the same table that Luke occupied and looking at him. He turned back to Lorelai and threw a glance to her new date before shaking his head with a smile. Lorelai smiled too as she realized how it must appear to him. However it looked to him, she was sure she wasn't coming off too well.

"Everything just looks so good," she heard Alex say. He looked up at their waiter. "I'm sorry, just a few more seconds. I'm trying to narrow it down." He turned attention back to his menu, and Lorelai had an instant thought. She gestured toward the waiter's pen, and he passed it to her hesitantly as she kept a watchful eye on Alex. He wasn't paying her any attention as he talked to himself about the selections.

She took a napkin and wrote something on it, quickly signaling the waiter to pass it to Luke after slipping him a small incentive in the form of Lincoln.

By the time the waiter was able to move along with both their orders, he had almost forgotten about his napkin delivery. He actually had to turn around and go back in that direction. Lorelai watched him go to Luke's table and lean over it as if he was checking something on the table. She realized quickly that he was the waiter for both their tables, so that worked out well and didn't raise any suspicions. He tapped Luke's shoulder and then dropped the napkin to the floor beside him while holding his date's attention on whatever it was he was looking at.

The waiter stepped away, and Lorelai watched as Luke picked up the napkin, tossed her a questioning glance, and then discreetly read it.

He looked at her as a smile came over his face. He looked at his date for all of five seconds before his eyes fell back out to her. Lorelai just rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. She had written on the note:

_Luke, try looking at her, not the table. She may like that. And, remember, no elbows:)_

Alex carried on conversation about something his daughter had done in school, and Lorelai tried to stay focused on him but found her eyes drifting off to the side. Luke still looked at her, and as she looked to him, a bigger smile formed on his lips as he leaned both elbows insistently on the table. As soon as he did this, Lorelai laughed and tried to cover it up with a cough quickly since Alex's facial expression told her he wasn't exactly telling an anecdote.

Meanwhile, at Luke's table, Nicole suddenly began to talk more openly with Luke, telling him how she was glad it looked like he was starting to have a good time and loosen up. Luke smiled widely. But only because he saw Lorelai gearing up to write another message to him on a napkin and he could only imagine what it was she was writing. He'd nearly gotten caught by Nicole as he read the fourth one she had sent, but he pretended as if he was using it to wipe off a stain on his cuff. He could hear Lorelai laughing from his seat, and though he had to play completely into his act and could not chance a look at her, he was positive she was laughing at him.

Luke felt absolutely childish as he sat going back and forth with Lorelai behind both his and her date's back. However, when Nicole started looking about ready to go, he had no desire to leave whatsoever. The waiter brought over the bill and set it, once again, in the middle of the table. Luke diverted his eyes to Lorelai, and she was looking at him as if she had no one at her own table to keep her occupied. He paused, looked to Nicole, then reached for the bill with no dispute on her part. He released a sigh and narrowed his eyes at Lorelai causing her to shrug.

Both Luke and Nicole stood up minutes later. Lorelai could see Luke's lips moving, so assumed he was talking to Nicole, but his focus, though dottingly at times, was unmistakably on her. She tossed him a small, tentative wave with a mouthed _'good luck' _before he responded with a full smile as he started to walk behind Nicole toward the entrance.

She watched them leave as long as she could without being obvious. And only then was Alex given her attention in its entirety for the first time that time.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai hadn't been home for five minutes before she was stepping back out. She pulled out her keys and proceeded to lock her door behind her.

"Another hot date?" Came an approaching voice. Lorelai turned immediately seeing Luke ascending the stairs to her home.

A shocked smile lit up her face. "Hey," she said looking at his still fancy attire. "What are you doing here?" She asked softly.

He joined her on the porch and walked past her as he leaned on the wall beside the door tiredly. "Thought I'd let you know how the night went," he replied.

She looked down in her hand at her keys. "Really?" She asked with inflection. He nodded. "Because guess where I was headed," she said knowingly.

He smiled. "How'd you know I'd be back?"

"I saw your truck parked on the way here," she said.

He looked at her with amusement. "Ever heard of the phone?"

She looked him up and down hugely, regarding his presence. "About as much as you have."

They both laughed quietly as Lorelai turned toward him fully and bundled herself in her jacket. "So, how'd it go?"

"It went okay," he said nodding. "Your being at the restaurant kind of loosened me up some."

She smiled, looking down to his shoes. "Which," he continued, "was a _remarkable _coincidence. What are the chances we'd both end up there?" he asked sarcastically.

"I didn't know I was going, okay?" She replied, unable to hide her grin. "It was his idea."

Luke nodded. "Well, he made a good choice. Guess he isn't so bad after all."

Lorelai laughed. "You haven't even met him."

"No, but the view I had of the back of his head at the restaurant had me wondering." Lorelai laughed again. "He looked questionable."

"Oh, did he?"

"Yes, he did." He paused, smiled wide. "Did he, uh, bother to try to tame his, uh, hair before he left the house?"

Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you said that," she said still laughing. He shrugged apologetically.

"Well," Lorelai began, "your date...looked a little, um, _skinny_." Luke tilted his head with amusement. "It's a good thing you guys hit the restaurant first because she may have just keeled over in the movie theatre." Luke laughed fully, which of course prompted a following remark. "At least when I saw her, I could understand why you were focused on the table," she said like she was making a serious comment.

Luke rolled his eyes, but still found himself feeding into her statement. "And why is that?"

She smiled. "You must have gotten a little disgusted while watching her and being able to actually _see_ her food sliding down her throat."

He shook his head. "That's disgusting," he said low.

"See, you admit it," she said giggling.

He looked down, still shaking his head and smiling.

Lorelai cleared her throat softly, shifting slightly to her other foot.

"You think you're going to see her again?" She asked, breaking their reflective silence.

He shrugged lightly. "Probably. She seemed to have had a good time, so I guess I have a green light."

"That's good," Lorelai commented in a whisper.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he said quietly.

He looked up at her, and she smiled. "So," she began, "were you really nervous at any point?" She asked.

He sighed thoughtfully. "No," he answered, almost questioningly. "But at the end of the date when I dropped her off, it was a little awkward. Uncomfortable."

"Yeah, that's always a little on the awkward side," she said sympathetically. "You don't really know what _she_ wants or what _he's_ thinking..."

"Well, it wasn't so much that I didn't know what she wanted. Even I could tell she expected some kind of contact by the way she was looking at me all...you know," he said motioning toward her.

Lorelai had flinched. She had had a very involuntary flinch at the mention of the word 'contact', but Luke had failed to notice. She nodded at him as he alluded to her knowing what he had meant in his pause.

"But, this was the first date, and I didn't feel like we had_ that _great a connection to be..." He spoke confidingly and openly with his words but ended his sentence in an uncomfortable deadpan "...feeling each other up on her doorstep."

This made Lorelai smile. It was always great for her to know that she could always count on Luke to be, well, Luke. Not just another guy.

"So, what, you guys shook hands and parted?" She asked amusedly.

"No, I just," he shrugged with indifference, "gave her a kiss on the cheek."

Lorelai found herself smiling widely. "That is so sweet," she said, more in admiration of him than the actual act.

"Jeez," he whispered with a bowed head.

She looked at him, her smile growing. "So, what kind of cheek kiss was it?" She asked.

He looked up at her. "There are types of cheek kisses?" He asked doubtfully.

"Of course." She leaned on her foot and looked as if she was about to school him. "There's the chaste," she kissed the air quickly, "that you give your mother." Luke looked at her incredulously, but she went on. "There's the more resolute, firm," she puckered her lips and hummed for three seconds before making the disengaging sound, "that you give to babies and close friends." He was now looking at her in amusement. Her voice softened. "There's the soft, lingering kiss where your lips barely touch the person's cheek, but they can still definitely feel it." She didn't bother demonstrating that one. "You only give that to people you have seen naked or who you have plans to see naked." Luke folded his arms, still looking at her. "Then, there's the seductive cheek kiss where you kind of..." She closed her eyes briefly, and Luke could tell that she was wanting to demonstrate but couldn't find it in herself to do so. "...lick their skin then, follow it with a light kiss." She opened her eyes. "It's usually, though, closer to the mouth or the neck, and it's not something you want to do initiate if it's not the _time or the place, _if you get my drift." Luke's lip turned up as he shook his head slowly from side-to-side. Lorelai only smiled. "And, then there's a whole bunch of other stuff in-between those," she added with a wave of her hand. She looked at him for a moment. "So, what kind did you give her?" She asked almost shyly.

He felt put on the spot. "I don't know...it was something in there," he said motioning toward her and her show.

"Is that supposed to make it more clear?" She asked.

He sighed loudly. "It was like a..." He looked as if he was about to kiss the air as she had, but stopped just as quickly with another loud exhale. Lorelai couldn't help but find humor in it. He looked around quickly as if searching for something that'd help complete his point. He settled his eyes back on Lorelai as he erected himself from the wall. Stepping nearer to her, he asked, "You mind?" He said it quickly, having grown a little impatient at his failure to demonstrate.

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Do I m--" It clicked. "Oh! Yeah, no, I don't mind," she said lightly while gesturing. "Go ahead, use me." She spoke coolly, with just a hint of amusement at her own idiocy.

He released another small sigh. "Well, uh, she was standing about where you are now, and she started to kinda..." he leaned in a little, "...move toward me like this, so I just, without being too obvious that I didn't want to really kiss her, moved over and..." He planted his lips softly on Lorelai's cheek. They remained there for two solid seconds before he lifted them. He pulled away only slightly before he gave another brief peck and stepped away, his eyes falling instantly to his feet. "...and, uh, kissed her cheek," he finished lamely.

He had placed his hands lightly on her upper arms, and he allowed them to slide away after completing his point.

Lorelai looked at his chest as a soft, "Oh," became her initial response.

"So, um, you think that was okay?"

"Yeah," she answered quickly. Slowing down her words, she replied, "I'm sure she enjoyed that." Their eyes met, and Lorelai swallowed nervously. She tried to think of something to say. "So, that's how you did it, then?"

He hadn't given Nicole that second peck, and as he mentally compared the kisses in his mind, he realized that the one he'd given his earlier date had almost mirrored the mother kiss.

He swallowed. "No, it wasn't...actually."

Her eyes went wide. "Really?"

He swallowed again, wondering what exactly was coming over him. His eyes fell back down, and he took a step toward her. He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "May I?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, s-sure," she answered as she looked into his eyes. He leaned into her again, almost whispering, "I kissed her like this." Again, he kissed her cheek, remaining there for three solid seconds. He pulled back, still staying cheek-to-cheek with her. "I'm sorry, that's not--"

Lorelai's eyes remained closed. She wondered why he wasn't stepping away, not entirely finding fault in his decision not to. "That's not how you did it either?" She asked in a whisper, completing his statement.

She felt him shake his head.

"Show me," she heard herself say. Luke turned his head slowly, placing his lips, yet again, next to the skin of her cheek. His intention was to give her a chaste kiss because that's what he'd given Nicole. He kissed her softly once, twice, three times-- all in ways that couldn't even be described as chaste by someone who had no sight.

Lorelai sighed with contentment. "That's nice," she replied, still trying her best to keep up the front that this was still show and tell.

"It's still wrong," he said, brushing his lips over the areas that he had dotted with his kisses.

"Still not it?" She asked as she turned her head toward him some.

He kissed her near her nose and right at the corner of her mouth, responding, "I can't seem to get the chaste thing right."

He dropped his hand to her waist, and Lorelai licked her lips sensually. "Pity," she whispered.

Lorelai turned her head even more, and Luke's lips which he'd been readying to place on her face landed squarely on her mouth. They both drew in a breath and opened their eyes to look at one another. They breathed quietly for a few moments.

"Well, I doubt that was, um, right," she said quietly.

"What?" He asked with genuine confusion.

Lorelai paused, taking the second to look into his eyes. "I doubt that's how you kissed her," she answered.

"How I kissed who?" He asked as a soft inquiry.

Lorelai's eyebrows knitted together. "Nicole...Luke."

He twisted his mouth, released an aggravated breath, and asked with a head shake, "Who's Nicole?"

Lorelai was two seconds away from wondering if he had really lost his mind before a slow smile crept on his face, and she was able to pick up on what he had meant to imply. She smiled, more out of relief that he would not be getting carted off somewhere.

She took a moment to answer him. "Nicole's...nobody. Nobody at all."

He shrugged as he pulled her a bit closer to him, still slightly cautious in doing so. She went freely, linking her arms around his neck. "Someone from the past, I guess," Luke said casually.

Lorelai nodded. She stared into Luke's eyes with a solemn expression. "You know," she started, "I also used to know a guy named Alex."

He stared back at her. "Did you?" He asked.

"Yeah." A long pause followed. "I don't anymore."

Luke smiled and leaned toward her. "Shame," he said.

"Down right disgraceful," she whispered.

Lorelai's hand found a place in his hair instantly as their lips came together. She began smiling wide several minutes into it, as she grew shamefully smitten with how soft Luke kissed.

They kissed for what seemed like forever, but was actually just minutes. Seven to be exact. Could've been said that there was one minute for every year they had denied themselves of the other's intimacy. Even accounting the 'Duke' years. They cared little that they were still on the porch and very much in full view.

When they were able to separate, and even more, when Luke was finally able to bid her goodnight, Lorelai stepped inside of her house and leaned against the door. She smiled out of happiness. Happiness at the events that had recently transpired, as well as happiness at her instant plan to make sure Rory never learned that she had been right about her and Luke. Admitting defeat had never been her strong suit, and she had no plans of making it that.

Moments after she stepped away from the door, it opened again, and Rory came through.

"Hey, Rory. How's your night been?" Lorelai asked sweetly.

Rory struggled with her things. "It's been fine up until about ten minutes ago. How has yours been?" She asked as she stopped in front of where Lorelai stood.

"It's been okay." She wanted to squeal and tell Rory the night's events, but her stubborn side wouldn't let that happen. "Had a date with Alex. Pretty tame."

"Really?" Rory asked curiously.

"Yep," Lorelai said. "Restaurant, movie, blah, blah, blah."

"Blah, blah, and blah, huh?" Rory asked dubiously. Lorelai nodded. "So, the fact that I had to pull out my keychain flashlight," Rory said as she held it up in her hand, "and read a book in the bushes for ten minutes while you and Luke finished necking..." Lorelai's mouth fell open as she tried to contain laughter. Rory chuckled too, losing her train of thought. "...is that, uh, one of the blahs?"

"Well, that--see what happ--because--when---not..." Rory started to laugh. "That does not make you right!" Lorelai yelled quickly. "Technically, I mean, if you think about it---"

"Aw, Mom, give it up. Just give me my one little tally mark, and call it a day," Rory interrupted.

Lorelai stuck out her lip and folded her arms. Rory laughed briefly before looking at her like she had three eyeballs. "Why are you still standing here?" She asked her playfully. "Ice cream, pop-tarts, cookies, DETAILS, let's go," she said clapping.

Lorelai jumped into action, squealing as she scurried off to the kitchen.

Rory shook her head at her as she went and made herself comfortable on the couch. Being something she had anticipated for so long, Rory knew that it was going to be a long night. She stretched out on the sofa and closed her eyes because she knew that they would talk nonstop for hours on end. She smiled to herself as she heard Lorelai already rambling on in the kitchen. A long night, indeed.

**---The End---**

**Soooooo, what did you thiiiiiink? ;-p**


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